The Many Faces of Naruto Uzumaki
by Scarecrow'sMainFan
Summary: An attack by the Akatsuki leaves Naruto in a coma. But then the land is beset by powerful beings, each claiming to be Naruto Uzumaki! Now the race is on as both sides attempt to gain control of these warriors. The fate of the world hangs in the balance!
1. A Hero, Broken

Hello everyone, how are you? It's a me, Scarecrow! For those of you who have never heard of me (say it ain't so!), welcome! For those of you who are familiar with me and my work, welcome back! This is my latest work!

Now, for those who know my other work, you may ask: Scarecrow! You're doing it again! You're starting a new work without working on the ones you already have (which can all be viewed from my profile!), why aren't you working on them?

Well I'll tell you! I'm in college now, in pursuit of higher learning... and it really eats up a lot of my free time. And while I can and do work on my other stories (I've updated several in the last week alone), I figured now might be a good time to get rid of some of those damn plot bunnies that have been lounging around for a while. So epic various one-shots and multi-parters to pop up more frequently.

Besides, if you work on the same thing for too long, it get's stale. Variety is the spice of life! But don't worry, I have **never**, and will **never **Abandon a Story! So there.

Because those description boxes are so damn small, here's an extended explanation of what you're going to get into:

_Akatsuki captures Naruto and attempts to remove the Kyubi. An alliance of shinobi managed to stop them half way, with explosive results. Naruto's body is left whole and intact, but also an empty shell. His mind and soul, meanwhile, are fractured into a multitude of Narutos, spread across the Elemental Nations. Each one contains a piece of the original Naruto somewhere in them, but also a part of the Kyubi. Each Naruto possesses a distinct personality, as well as a distinct power, granted by the Kyubi. Now, Naruto's friends and foes alike are scouring the land to find the various personas of Naruto. Will Naruto's friends be able to gather them all in one place, then use them to save their Naruto? Will Naruto's enemies capture them and destroy them for their fragment of the Kyubi? Will some of the Narutos even want to help either side, or will they have their own agendas? One thing is certain though: One Naruto was a handful, but when there's a virtual army of them? God help us all... _

There, now doesn't that sound interesting? I hope so! This is actually a very special story for me, as it marks my first story that is NOT a crossover! Yay! So, without further ado, let's dive headfirst into the start of... **The Many Faces of Naruto Uzumaki! **

_**Chapter One: A Hero, Broken**_

_-A Hero, Broken-_

The unthinkable had happened. Despite taking every possible precaution; Naruto Uzumaki, vessel for the Nine-Tailed fox, and son of the Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki (and if Jiraiya's hunch was right, possibly the ninja world's savior), had been kidnapped and was about to die.

In a collected effort that could only have been thought up by a madman, five members of the Akatsuki had struck during one of the many periods Jiraiya was out 'researching'. While Naruto had certainly gotten better training under the Toad Sannin these past two and a half years, he wasn't that strong.

Even when Jiraiya had noticed the destruction the fight was causing, and had come barreling in full sage mode, he was already too late. Naruto had been knocked unconscious, and the bad guys merely had one take him while the others held Jiraiya off. He did manage to kill the criminals; only to find that they had used a special jutsu to implant their powers into others, and that the real things were still at large.

Jiraiya had hardly caught his breath when he tried to track the fiends, but they had gone off in too many different directions, and even when he got a clue, he knew he couldn't go in alone. So he had made a call for reinforcements….

_-A Hero, Broken-_

**With Naruto: **

And now here he was, floating in a bubble of energy with his and Kyubi's souls getting torn out. This was a terrible day all around… and it was still early!

_**"I blame you for this" **_Kyubi gripped as it thrashed against the pull of the demonic statue.

"Hey! It's not my infinite well of demonic power they're after!" Naruto retorted, trying his best to break the chains that were pulling the life from his and the Kyubi's body. All around him the water in the cave was drying up, the metal bars around the prison had rusted and corroded, and the lights which had been so bright before were starting to dim. Clearly, the two were fighting a losing battle.

_**"All the same… this really sucks!" **_Kyubi roared in frustration, a sentiment matched by Naruto. By now the two of them were so close together that their mental bodies were practically mashed into one. This was the final set in the sealing. In a few moments, the two of them would be drawn out completely, and they would be dead.

_-A Hero, Broken-_

Madara grinned, it was nearly done. Soon, his plan would enter its final stage; and he would place the entire planet under his hypnosis. All this work, all this planning, finally it was going to be finished! Everything was going so well…..

To well…..

Ah hell…

At that moment, everything went pear-shaped. The walls of the cave exploded as every ninja Naruto had ever met or helped came for their hero. Leaf Ninjas, Sand Ninjas, Snow Ninjas, Star Ninjas, etc, etc, all were in attendance. And all of them were ready to throw down. And since they were going against a group of some of the strongest, most destructive ninjas to ever live, they were going to need those numbers.

_-A Hero, Broken-_

Naruto and Kyubi felt the ripple in the stream that was pulling them, and immediately doubled their efforts. They pulled with all their might, their semi-merged form nearly breaking free from the death grip the statue had on their collective soul/psyche.

Almost, but not quite.

_-A Hero, Broken-_

Jiraiya roared as he slammed a Rasengan into another puppet, a cloud of sand flying over his shoulder to sweep away the horde of plant men shambling towards him. A blast of wind from Suna's finest blew away the poison mist, while above snow ninjas armed with mechanical wings chased down Akatsuki's mad bomber. Kakashi's hand flickered with a million volts of energy that flash fried the paper that swirled around him. Try as he might though, Konan would disperse without taking a lethal hit. Behind him Neji and Sakura tried to drag away an unconscious Rock Lee and Choji, who had sadly looked directly at Itachi's eyes. Gai would have helped, but Kisame was keeping him pretty busy.

Jiraiya jumped, his strength greatly enhanced by sage mode towards the statue. Ma and Pa sat grimly on his shoulders, doing their best to keep pesky enemies away. There were only two people left still working the demon sealing statue now: a man covered in piercings and a man with a swirly orange mask. With only two left, the drainage was very slow, and he could see Naruto's spirit fighting the hold it had on him.

A strange beast with an eagle's mask barreled towards him, but several star ninjas and samurai baring the armor of Bird Country threw themselves in its path. Behind him, he heard a loud explosion followed by some loud cussing, just as a silver haired head bounced across the ground in front of him, still cursing like a sailor. Jiraiya let none of that deter him though. He couldn't. He would not fail his godson again!

Pein leapt in front of him, and Jiraiya couldn't help but gasp at the sight of **those **eyes. Pein pointed at him, and suddenly Jiraiya was sent flying forwards towards Pein and his razor sharp sword. Jiraiya spun in mid air though, preparing for battle.

A battle which was entirely subverted as a mass of sand swept Pein up and pulled him away. Jiraiya turned and gapped as Shukaku's massive form loomed over the battle field. The ceiling of the cave the Akatsuki were hiding in had now been partially destroyed to make room for the beast, but with Deidara and Tenten making judicious use of explosives, the whole structure was likely to come down soon anyway. All the more reason why he needed to grab Naruto!

_-A Hero, Broken-_

Madara growled in frustration. With Shukaku distracting Pein, he was now alone. He brought all of his power to bare on the statue, nearly yanking the entire Kyubi's soul out with a single pull! But he couldn't keep it up, because the brat and the fox were fighting back just as hard. The force on the souls was so great, nearly matching their resistance, that the two souls appeared merged to Madara's ancient eyes. Where once their was a clearly distinguishable blue soul and red soul, was now a soul of light purple.

A nearby explosion made Madara focus again. Who cared what their soul looked like? In a second, Jiraiya would be here to lay the smack down on him, and then no one would be there to operate the sealing, rendering the dangerous process increasingly unstable! He had no idea what would happen if the statue was left completely unattained. Best case scenario, the souls would go back to the body. Worst case… he had no idea.

_-A Hero, Broken-_

Jiraiya flew towards the Statue, the largest most powerful Rasengan he was capable of making swirling in his hand. At its strength, he could level a mountain, he was sure it could take the statue down. And while he wasn't a hundred percent on whether this would free Naruto or not, it was the best chance he had. The best part? The last Akatsuki member couldn't attack him to stop him without freeing Naruto anyway!

They were going to do it! They were going to win!

_-A Hero, Broken-_

Shukaku inhaled a massive amount of air, his aim to suck the annoying pierced human closer to him so he could smash him like a bug! And in case that didn't work, he was lacing the air in his body with chakra for one of his Air Bullets.

Pein saw he was only getting closer to the sand demon, but remained nonplussed. In his head, he was busy counting down the seconds until… There!

Throwing his arms forward, he unleashed a massive Shinra Tensei, which struck Shukaku's stomach. Sadly for the 'god of Rain village' this backfired, as it only force Shukaku to fire his deadly projectile sooner then he had planned.

Pein's eyes widened as he realized he couldn't dodge the attack, and wondered if anything would be left of this body once it was struck.

However, moments before collision, a swarm of paper butterflies encircled him and pulled him out of harms way. Pein managed to not outwardly sigh as he watched the massive ball of death sail right past him…

and right towards the statue.

_-A Hero, Broken-_

Deidara swore loudly as he made the dragon avoid another hit. His masterpiece, while grand and destructive, was not very good for these kinds of battles. Plus, for every explosive he fired down there, some panda looking girl fired another back at him! The nerve!

Down below Kisame was forced into the air as Gai struck him with the full force of his Blazing Peacock technique. Normally he would have loved to cut the jumpsuit wearing monkey down, but some Nara and Aburame had double teamed him while Gai had distracted him and made him drop his sword. He had seen the bun-haired girl fiddling with it, but he knew she would be unable to use it like he could.

With a crash he hit something solid and heard someone swear. Turning his head slightly he saw that he'd managed to hit Deidara's craft. Thankfully he knew the dragon would only explode if Deidara willed it too, or if it was exposed violently to extremely explosive chakra.

Down below, Tenten stepped back from the modified Crow puppet she'd tricked Kankuro into letting her borrow. Until now she had been using it to fire explosive weaponry back up into the sky at the mad bomber on the dragon. Now though, she had made some changes to make the cannon fire something a little… heavier.

She had been forced to use super-durable wires, given that nothing could touch the blade (Kisame excluded of course), and it would drain chakra out of anything around it. Thankfully she had modified the Crow-Cannon (as she had taken to lovingly calling it) to run on good old fashion gunpowder and steel. Anyway, after some effort she had managed to load the legendary sharkskin **into **her cannon.

Now normally, one might wonder; why bother? The answer was simple: She was going to use it to take down that stupid dragon that had been killing far too many of the allies. If she was right, the sword should suck the chakra right out of the construct, dissipating it harmlessly. Taking careful aim, she lit the fuse; and Fired….

_-A Hero, Broken-_

You know, very few people really appreciated Murphy, or his law. He worked hard on that law, and dammit he was going to exercise it!

What's that? You DON'T know what Murphy's law is? Why, it's only the greatest law ever written: If something wrong can go wrong, it will!

For instance: Say a perky weapons maker fires a giant sword at an explosive dragon being piloted by a madman?

BUT!

The madman sees the shot coming, and maneuvers his dragon away.

BUT!

The Dragon is slow and cumbersome, and can't make it completely. Instead of either missing it completely or hitting the target, it merely sheered of a wing, sending it into a dive from which it could not escape. Of course, the madman and his passenger jump ship…er… dragon, but the fun's not over, as the dragon's destination is already set: One Large Demon Sealing Statue.

Now, imagine a giant one tailed Demon raccoon, who had drawn the leader of an evil organization into a brawl. Now, imagine he (the demon) fires a large explosive blast of wind at the leader. Now imagine the Leader is saved at the last minute by his side-kick. But oh no! The Wind Blast is still going, and it's going to hit… A Large Demon Sealing Statue! What are the odds?

But oh, what's this? A perverted Toad Themed Sage is flying through the air brandishing a Rasengan the size of a house! Why, with something that powerful, he could lay waste to a mountain! Just what is his target anyway? Oh! Why it's our old friend Large Demon Sealing Statue!

Oh, Murphy.

So tell me: What do you think happens when a giant Rasengan, a Demonic Air Bullet, and an Explosive Dragon all hit the same target at the same time?

_-A Hero, Broken-_

All fighting stopped as all the ninjas bore witness to the massive combination of three different explosive attacks merge into one as they struck the Demon Statue. Ecept Madara who, despite his stubbornness, vanished away at the last second, further destabilizing the jutsu used to extract the soul and maintain the Statue. The statue glowed an ominous myriad of colors, sending out pulses that rippled through the air and sent shivers down the strongest man's spine.

Jiraiya, seeing the other projectiles coming out from the corner of his eye, quickly substituted with a clone at the last second, saving his life.

Shukaku, after a plea from Gaara, moved to encase the entire blast zone in compact sand. All around him, ninjas followed his example, throwing ever defensive jutsu they knew towards the statue, which was glowing ever brighter. However, there was one thing they still needed:

With no one to maintain the jutsu, the now combined soul of Naruto and Kyubi began to make their way back towards the body, which had entered a near death state in the absence of both souls. They had just started to enter when the statue went critical…

A green blur flashed by, snatching the comatose body out of the air! Maito Gai had save the body of Naruto from certain destruction!

But what about the soul? Well, with time it would make it's way back to the body; as long as nothing served to-

**BOOOOOM!**

The statue exploded, the energy smashing into the allied defenses, turning the massive sand wall to glass and the stone to molten lava. Anything left behind the shield within the blast area was vaporized. Nothing was left unscathed; not even the soul of a hero.

But a soul, being made of energy, cannot be destroyed. For energy can neither be created, nor destroyed. This is a fundamental law of the universe. And while most ninjas would smirk and scoff at such things, this was not one they could overcome.

That said, just because the massive explosion could not destroy the merged soul of the boy hero and the nine tailed fox, did not mean it could not cause serious harm.

_-A Hero, Broken-_

There was a scream. A scream unlike anything any of those gathered, from either side, had ever heard before. It was a scream that managed to rise even over the sound of the massive explosion. It sounded bestial, and yet so frighteningly human as to strike a tremor in the soul of all living things.

Behind the defensive wall, where no one could see, the Soul of Naruto Uzumaki had shattered. That scream was his scream, amplified a trillion fold by the Kyubi, who was screaming right alongside him.

Such a blast should be the end of them, of anything in fact. But their will to live was too strong. Kyubi, the ancient demon, was not ready to go quietly into that good night, and was exhausting the powers he had to keep all that he was alive. Naruto, with a drive to continue that went far beyond even 'insane' latched his psyche onto the Kyubi's power, and used its healing properties to keep him alive. But despite their best efforts, they could not hold themselves together forever.

That's not to say it was in vain of course. In a freak event that likely could not be reproduced in a million years, the combined soul split apart. Each fragment should have died right there; but they didn't. Instead, each fragment contained a small portion of both Naruto and the Kyubi's combined psyche! From there, the 'shards' rode the explosion to safety; phasing right through the shield and out of the cave to parts beyond…

_-A Hero, Broken-_

The assembled ninjas couldn't do more then gape at the strange and magnificent sight as what looked like a swarm of shooting starts shot out into the sky, traveling faster then most could see.

When it finally stopped, the ninjas let their guards down. The massive shield fell, revealing the remains of the Sealing Statue, or rather the lack of remains. Even the mighty statue couldn't have survived such a blast.

Looking around, Jiraiya saw the Akatsuki fleeing. Kakuzu was carrying the head of the silver haired man. Konan was flying away with Nagato. Zetsu had fused back into the ground. Deidara was flying away with Kisame and Sasori. He didn't know where Itachi had gotten off too; he might have left before the explosion started.

"Jiraiya-sama! Hurry!" he heard the voice of his student's teammate call him. Turning, he saw that Naruto's body was being surrounded by medics, each trying to make sure Naruto was alright. He sighed; glad it was over. They had won, and Naruto was going to be alright.

_-A Hero, Broken-_

**One Month Later: **

Naruto was not alright.

Ever since the day where an army of allies had laid waste to the Akatsuki sealing statue, he had been in a coma. All his vital signs were in order, but in the words of Inochi Yamanaka: "The lights are on, but nobody's home." When the mind walker had entered Naruto's mind, all he had found was a wrecked sewer system, a destroyed cage, and a fraction of the Nine-Tails power (but no Kyubi itself).

Tsunade was doing all she could, as were most medics that worked on the boy. While Naruto's reputation in Konoha may not have always been stellar, abroad he was a walking miracle. All the places Naruto had helped were willing to give whatever they could, as long as it helped Naruto. This did make some of the other countries uneasy (especially the Cloud and Stone village), but for now they weren't going to attack.

Sadly, things weren't looking good for Naruto. There was no way of knowing if he would recover, or if he was going to stay a vegetable. The only theory they had come up with so far that made any sense, was that part of Naruto's mind and soul had been lost in the explosion. And frankly, how were you supposed to heal that?

The news depressed a lot of Naruto's friends, and Jiraiya wasn't ashamed to admit he cried a little at the thought of his godson never waking up. But they soon picked themselves up. Naruto wouldn't want them to act this way! He wouldn't give up if it was them! So they wouldn't either! The Toad Sage had taken that energy to heart, and set out on a journey: the world was a big place; full of untapped resources. If there was anything that could help his godson, he was going to find it! Nothing would stop him! He would not fail! Not again!

_-A Hero, Broken-_

**Somewhere in Fire Country: **

A falling star touched the earth. It had been flying for so long, in so much pain, that it hadn't been able to land before. But he was better now. Stronger.

Naruto opened his eyes, and gave a smirk. Taking a deep breath, he basked in the nature around him. "So I am the first, huh?" he asked the air. The air moved in a gentle breeze, and he closed his eyes as he felt the sounds and smells of nature whisk around him.

But that was not the only thing he felt: in the darkness of his mind, he felt a mental ping go off every few seconds as more and more started to appear. However, he knew he was correct in his statement.

"But of course I'm the first" he said, running his fingers through his hair "Who else could be?" and with that, he began a purposeful stride through his woodland surroundings, determined to find civilization.

**Somewhere in Earth Country: **

Oh dear, oh goodness, where was he? Naruto bit his lip as he looked around his unfamiliar surroundings. He had no idea where he was, and he was all alone, and it was getting dark, and… and…

"I don't know how to deal with any of this!" he screamed to the sky, only to flinch as his echo bounced off the walls of the canyon he was in. He shuddered, wrapping his arms tightly around himself, before slowly shuffling off in a random direction…

**Somewhere in Lightning Country: **

On the tallest mountain peak of the tallest mountain, Naruto lay on the ground. He was curled up into a ball, sobbing for all he was worth. His cries echoed through the mountains, making those below shiver as they felt what must be a very depressed mountain spirit cry out in suffering…

**Somewhere in Water Country: **

Pain. All he knew was pain! It was coated his every waking though, and surged through every synapse of his mind! Never stopping, never ceasing, only growing in intensity. Pain was all he knew. Pain was all he had ever know. How could he get the pain to stop?

**Somewhere in Wind Country: **

Naruto whistled a merry tune as he skipped across the sand. He had woken up to some beautiful sunshine and some delightful sand, that he just had to stop and make a sand castle! After that, he figured maybe he could find someone to share this delightful day with, and had begun traversing the majestic desert in search of company.

**Across the whole of the Elemental Countries: **

Over and over again they appeared. As the falling stars touched down, the took the form of their past life; one Naruto Uzumaki. But though each appeared the same, they were all distinctly different. Their numbers were hard to pin down, as no one was there to see all of their 'births', and in fact no one was yet aware of their existence!

That would all change soon enough.

**End Chapter  
><strong>

**BOOM! So what do you think? Was it good? I hope so! As you can see, we now have a currently unknown amount of faux-Narutos running around, each representing a different aspect or emotion of his personality. Right now, nobody even knows they exist, but it won't be that way for long! **

**If you enjoyed what you read, please review. If you didn't, well I'm sorry to here that. Please, no flames. That said, I hope to see you all back for chapter two, when we get first contact with the Narutos and the rest of the world! **

**Until Next Time...  
><strong>


	2. Set In Motion

**Hello everyone, how are you this fine day? I hope this chapter finds you well. I'd like to thank everyone who commented on the last chapter, and I hope this chapter is as well received. **

**A quick note, the first part is a little dark, but it does lighten up after that. **

**Now, without further delay, let us dive right into **

**_Chapter Two: Set In Motion_  
><strong>

**_-A Hero, Broken-_**

**Lightning Country: Mountain Side Village**

It was high noon, and the streets were mostly deserted. This wasn't normally the case, but lately people just didn't feel like leaving their homes for anything other then an absolute emergency.

That said, it was a bit of surprise for the those looking out their window to see Muramasa, the town doctor, walking towards the town square. Well, a partial surprise anyway…

Muramasa stopped in the center of town square, his head bowed with his hair hanging down and hiding his face. Tears dripped down to the dry dirt at his feet as he wept.

The wind from the nearby mountain howled, just as it had for nearly three weeks. The sound it brought made him shudder as he drew the large bottle from his coat pocket. Quickly unscrewing the cap, he proceeded to empty the contents of the bottle onto his head, the liquid stinging his eyes and burning his nose as it soaked his cloths.

He did this with a second bottle, and then a third. As he was halfway through the fourth bottle, he was interrupted by a shout of surprise. Turning, he saw his wife running towards him from down the street. But she was too far away; he knew she'd never get there in time.

"Mura-kun! What are you doing! Stop! Please! Somebody stop him!" Hisane called out desperately, cursing her slow legs for not carrying her faster. She saw her beloved reach into his soaked pants pocket, and withdraw something small and shiny.

By now she was close enough to gag on the stink in the air as she met with his tearstained eyes. She felt the wind go quiet, and she heard perfectly as her husband whispered "I'm so sorry." before flicking open the lighter in his hands.

It didn't take more then a spark to ignite his kerosene soaked body, setting him alight like a matchstick. He vaguely heard his wife scream in horror as she ran to him, but it was already to late. As a doctor, he knew he wasn't going to survive this….

Those who had watched from their windows turned away as another good man died before their eyes. They knew there was nothing they could do for him. All they could do was pray they weren't next.

From above, the village chieftain looked down from his office window as his former friend became kindling. He fought the urge to vomit as he called in his new secretary. He'd had to find a new one in a hurry after the old one beat himself to death with a hammer.

"This can't keep going on!" he shouted gruffly, turning to face his secretary. "For nearly three weeks now my people have been dying left and right. We've done everything we can to appease that damn spirit, but nothing is working!" he sat heavily behind his desk, before pouring himself a glass of sake. "Send word to Kumo. We need someone to deal with this thing right away, or there might not even be a village by next week. I've heard they've got two jinchuriki, so they should know how to deal with a malevolent mountain spirit."

The secretary quickly wrote down the request before hurrying out of the office. Not ten minutes later, a hawk, the fastest in the village, flew to the village hidden in the clouds. All who saw it go prayed it made its journey quickly. The town could not last much longer.

_-A Hero, Broken-_

**Hidden Leaf: **

Team Eight shuffled awkwardly as they waited in the Hokage's office, currently vacant of its leader. The three had certainly changed over the years: Hinata's coat was now lavender, and she was actually a rather competent fighter. Kiba may not have changed much, but Akamaru was now far too large to sit on his head (in fact the dog had been forced to wait outside for his partner). And Shino… well… The Aburame had taken to wearing a hooded coat, and darker sunglasses. And that was it.

And though they had been standing there awhile, they weren't worried in the slightest. It wasn't hard to guess where the village leader was, as it was the same spot she spent every moment not in her office:

Naruto's Room.

Ever since he'd entered the coma, the woman had nearly taken to living there along with Hinata, and occasionally the woman from the local Ramen stand (though their friends and family did their best to make sure that didn't happen). She still ran the village with great efficiency; but now it wasn't totally uncommon for meetings to start late because someone needed to go and fetch the Hokage.

Maybe it was a little sad and obsessive to be watching over a boy who, as some had said, was unlikely to ever wake up. Those people often found themselves picking their teeth up off the floor. No matter how unlikely, Tsunade said, she would never leave his side again. He was like family dammit, if not better! After she said that, no one had the heart, or the courage, to try and dissuade her further.

The creaking of the old door heralded the arrival of said Hokage and her assistant, and all three former genin saluted smartly. Surprisingly Tsunade had a small smile on her face, in her hands a broken seal that seemed to bare the crest of the Fire Daimyo.

"Madame Hokage, you're smiling!" Hinata said, before slapping a hand over her mouth. But it was true; and to see the Hokage smile was a rare sight nowadays.

"Yes," Tsunade said, sitting down behind her desk and laying the mission scroll down alongside the other. "This is a message from the Fire Daimyo himself. Apparently he's decided that 'recent events' have warranted an increase in Konoha's military budget. He hopes that it will make future incidents far more unlikely, and perhaps save many lives if used properly."

It was obvious what 'recent events' meant, but it was the second part of the statement that got everyone interested.

"When he says he'll increase our budget, how much exactly does he…" Kiba trailed off expectantly, his curiosity peaked.

Tsunade smirked "He's doubled it."

There was stunned silence for a moment. Then another moment. "That is a quite a lot of money." Shino said, his monotone voice ringing out in the quiet office.

Tsunade gave a light laugh "You're damn right it is. And I plan to use it for exactly one purpose"

"Not clearing your gambling debts I hope" Shizune teased, earning an annoyed look from her teacher.

"No" Tsunade said, her eyebrow twitching "I plant to use it to make some long needed adjustments around here. Ones that will most certainly benefit the village as a whole." she said, purposefully keeping her plans a secret (though one might hazard a guess that it was because she had none… but those who thought that knew better then to speak it).

"Right" Tsunade said, slamming her hand down on the desk, making everyone jump "I didn't call you all here to talk about the budget! I called you here for a high priority mission." this got the assembled ninja to straighten up.

Tsunade opened the second scroll she'd brought in "Apparently Sea country has experienced a series of vicious pirate attacks for nearly two weeks. I want you to go there and put a stop to it by any means necessary." she said, looking each of the eye with a hard stare. The three nodded back, they knew that meant that if necessary, they were to kill to accomplish the mission "Good, glad you all understand. I have already informed one Anko Mitarashi, and she will be meeting you at the East Gate. By all accounts these pirates are unusually tenacious for non-ninjas, and she's familiar with Sea Country. You have one hour to prepare." she finished.

The three nodded, and Tsunade dismissed them with a nod of her head. The three shushined away back to their homes to gather their supplies for what could prove to be a difficult mission.

Tsunade sighed as she leaned back in her chair, feeling every one of her years, no matter what her genjutsu made her look like. As weird as it was, she wished Jiraiya was here, just so she could have someone to talk too. Sure there was Shizune, but Tsunade just felt like being nostalgic, and Jiraiya was one of the few people she could do that with.

She swiveled her chair to face the large window overlooking her village. Yet even as she stared out at it, her mind was already back in the hospital room; thinking of any solution she might have missed that could bring Naruto back from the abyss.

_-A Hero, Broken-_

**A Village Twenty Miles South of Hidden Grass: **

The man sighed as he walked through the village. It wasn't so bad here. Sure the sun was too bright, the humidity was a killer and there were far to many people for-

"Hey watch it!" a large man snapped as he shoved past Naruto.

The man cracked his neck… far to many **rude** people for his taste. _"1" _He thought, before continuing on his way.

Anyway, outside of a few folks, this place was kind of nice. Maybe he'd stop and have something to-

**Splash**

The man was suddenly hit by a stray water ballon. Turning his head, he saw some kids had been playing, and he'd been unintentionally caught in the cross fire. The man took a deep breath, his knuckles popping as he clenched his fist. He could feel the water evaporating off his body as he started heating up _"2"_

No biggy, just kids being kids… stay calm… The man walked into a nearby restaurant. He was quickly seated, where he ordered his favorite dish: Ramen. As he sat back and waited, he tried to remain calm, to keep his cool. But he was already wound up, and he knew it wouldn't take much more for him to lose his grip.

But there! He could smell its scent on the breeze, his beautiful Ramen was coming to save him. He could see his waiter walking towards him, and he knew everything was going to be alright.

Then his waiter tripped. The bowl went flying through the air, landing in the surprised man's lap. The hot broth burned him, even as the noodle splashed in his face…

The man heard the waiter trying to apologize, but in his head… _"3. Third strike." _The man ground his teeth, the table smoldering beneath his hands.

The man's eyes turned crimson red. And Anger finally voiced his displeasure.

_-A Hero, Broken-_

**Bird Country: **

"What exactly are we looking at here?" Shikamaru asked as he looked over the dead body. The years had been good to him, and despite being a little taller, Shikamaru didn't look significantly different. The body before him though was grotesquely emaciated, as were the two bodies next to it. These were all symptoms of being terribly starved, which was odd in a land of plenty like Bird Country…

"Just the latest in a series of bizarre murders" Toki answered. Normally the ruler of a land would not be in such place, but with the odd goings on, she would make an exception.

"Murder? These three just look like they starved to death." Ino said, slightly farther away from the bodies then Shika and Choji. Something about not wanting the smell of death on her new cloths. Ino had certainly matured over the years. While she kept the purple in her outfit, she'd traded in training bandages for fishnets.

"They did starve to death." Toki said, narrowing her eyes slightly "But they managed to do it in a house with a full pantry not twenty feet away."

That got the three ninjas attention. "That's part of why I called you here!" She snapped "These bodies were discovered just an hour before this man-" she gestured to the body beside her "was found. The autopsy shows he ate dango until his stomach burst."

"So what's going on?" Choji asked "These can't be suicides, can they?"

Toki sighed as she sat down "That's what we thought at first, but… " she buried her head in her hands "It's like the whole towns gone insane! Earlier today my chief financial officer apparently fell asleep on a park bench, and no one has been able to wake him up since! One of my guards was beaten to death with a brick, and the only excuse the culprit could come up with was 'he bought the hat I wanted.' " Toki said in a rush, the bizarre events of her village having taxed her leadership abilities more then one might have thought.

Ino blinked "That… is certainly odd." she said, getting a glare from Toki.

Shikamaru rubbed his chin "Troublesome is more like it." he muttered, his mind whirring through anything that could have caused these things "It sounds like it might be some sort of genjutsu compelling people to do these things."

"So you do believe that this isn't natural! That someone is maliciously attacking my people!" Toki said, standing, her eyes wide.

Shikamaru nodded "I do believe that someone, or possibly a group of someones may be involved. Understand that further investigation will be needed." he turned to his teammates "Come on, as troublesome as it is, we'll need to canvas the city and interview the people around town. Maybe someone's seen something." Orders given, he quickly left, Ino right behind him.

Choji stopped, turning to give what he hoped was a comforting smile to the distressed ruler "Don't worry, we won't rest until your village has peace." Choji said. Choji had changed the most out of the three. He'd gotten much taller, and bulkier. However, it was almost all muscle. He'd taken to wearing battle armor similar to his father's, and had let his red hair grow out.

As Toki watched him go, she was indeed comforted by his words. Yet somehow, she knew things were going to get worse before they got better…

_-A Hero, Broken-_

**Wind Country: Desert outside Hidden Sand: **

Sasori watched as Deidara flew off towards the Sand village, where hopefully he'd be able to apprehend the Sand Demon Shukaku's vessel. He'd better be quick about it too, Sasori hated waiting.

The puppeteer wasn't sure why they were even bothering. After the fiasco with the nine-tails, hadn't the statue been destroyed? Hadn't all their hard work these many years been undone? By all accounts, it could take years for the demons to come back to the mortal world. Why bother hunting down the vessels now? Maybe he was going soft, but it felt like they were making the lives of the jinchuriki more difficult for no reason.

But both Pein and Konan were adamant that this is what they needed to do. That they would store the spirit of the remaining tailed beasts until they could create a new container to hold all of the demons. From there, they would watch the world and wait for the demons inevitable return.

All of which boiled down to him sitting here, in the sand, at night, alone. Great.

"Hi there!"

Sasori nearly jumped as the cheerful voice actually started him. Whipping around, he got a good look at who was actually good enough to sneak up on him. What he saw made his eyes widen. His real eyes, not the ones he had on the massive puppet he wore.

It was a dead ringer for the Nine-Tailed jinchuriki! Sorta. While he did have the same basic body shape, the hair looked like it was crayon yellow. The whisker marks which had marked the boy, Naruto, as the Kyubi's vessel, were stretched and curved. Sasori had a hard time of deciding if they looked more like half smiles, or cat whiskers.

Finally, the eyes. Instead of the pure blue the boy had possessed, these were an electric, neon, bright, lime green (and yes, that many additives were necessary). They were physically glowing in the dark for Kami's sake! And the pupil was not black; rather it was pink. Odd.

All of that, plus the small fact that he had watched the Kyubi vessel get killed, made him realize that this could not be the Naruto Uzumaki back from the dead looking for revenge. Although maybe that was the case, stranger things had happened…

Either way, he found he had no reason not to kill him, post haste.

**End Chapter **

**Well, what did you think? A lot is going on, and a lot will happen in the future; and this is only the first glance of the various Narutos settling in on the world. **

**If you enjoyed what you read, please review. If you didn't, well I'm sorry to here that. Please, no flames. That said, I hope to see you all back for chapter two, when we get first contact with the Narutos and the rest of the world! **

****Until Next Time...**  
><strong>


	3. Meet the Narutos

**It may have taken awhile, but no story is ever forgotten. For those of you that have been waiting, thank you for your patients. Here's the next installment! **

_**Chapter Three: Meet the Narutos **_

**Lightning Country: Near Mountain Side Village  
><strong>

"Are we…. sure this is the right place?" Yugito asked. She was decked out in her usual black body armor, her blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but a near ghost town certainly wasn't it. She knew the town was struggling, that was the whole point of the mission. But looking down at it, she'd have guested it was abandoned. She took a deep breath, allowing her enhanced senses to sort through the various scents in the air. Besides herself she smelt her two comrades, the third was traveling a bit slower behind. But the town itself… the town smelt like nothing she had ever smelled before. The closest she could figure was the smell of soil after a rainstorm, but mustier, and… sadder? Was sadness a smell?

"It had better be, my feet can't take anymore walking." a gruff voice answered, it's owner lowering a map. Kori was a gruff fellow, with a thick gray mustache that bounced from side to side when he ranted. He was wearing a basic traveler's cloak, but Yugito knew that he had all his tools hidden beneath it.

"Ah stop ya whining ya great baby." a light accented voice responded. Yugito turned and saw the only other woman the team. Misha had a dark complexion, with her long hair hanging about her face in. While she was wearing armor similar to Yugito's, her's was a lighter yellow, matching her sunny disposition. Misha turned to look behind her, squinting at the figure trailing in the distance "I do wish that monk would hurry his hind end up, though. We could have been here ages ago if he didn't insist on stopping so often."

Yugito smirked "Now who's whining?" she asked playfully. Misha threw up her hands and started to make her way down into the town, the others following. The monk had kept up this long, he could keep going a little longer.

The town was noticeably empty, and Yugito swore she saw a tumbleweed bounce past. From the corner of her eye she saw frightened looks cast out from behind curtains, something that almost reminded her of home.

As they got closer to the village leader's office at the center of town, the three's muted conversations died off. There was something oppressive in the air, and it was really bumming them out. Even the wind, which had howled like wounded animal since they got there, carried the mark of depression.

_-Chapter 3-_

**Somewhere in Earth Country: **

A figure shuffled along a dirt road, as it had been doing ever since he'd woken up in a canyon so far from any civilization. All he'd had was the cloths on his back, a deep dark fear in his heart, and a name in his head.

_'Osore'_. Fear. That was… not ironic, but close. All he could think about were things that made him terrified. Which was easy, because he quickly found himself to be afraid of everything! The bugs on the ground, the birds in the sky, even the possible germs in the air made his skin crawl. He'd been afraid when he'd woken up in the cramped canyon, but had been just as afraid in the wide open country! It wasn't fair! No one could function with this much fear!

But now, there in the distance… a village! Finally, maybe someone could help him, or at least let him have someplace to rest. Wait… oh Kami he was going to have to talk to people! What a terrifying thought! What if they were mean? Or wouldn't help him? What would he do? Oh Kami… he was sure he was about to have a panic attack right here on the road. Deep breaths Osore, deep breaths… there there… focus.

Osore gulped, forcing down his fear. He was sure everything was going to be just fine… Who knew, maybe he'd make a friend; one who could help him cope with his overwhelming cornucopia of phobias…

_-Chapter 3-_

**Lightning Country: Mountain Top**

Yugito crouched behind an outcropping of rocks with her teammates. After nearly several hours of climbing, they had reached the summit of the mountain, and found the cave, just as the mayor had described it.

She honestly felt bad for the poor guy. His hair was graying and falling out, and his people were being plagued by a force he had no way of dealing with. The small force they had to deal with the occasional bandit raid had not even been able to ascend the steep slopes of the mountain. Those that tried had not returned.

Yugito's team had found several bodies dashed among the rocks on their climb.

She was brought out of her thoughts by the rattle of prayer beads. The monk (who had refused to give his name, claiming to have given it up when he entered his holy order) had wrapped his hands in rosaries, and was deep in prayer. He had been sent with them after the Raikage had received a report of several ominous omens appearing all over the country. Demonic omens. In the event this wasn't just some ninja playing tricks (and all the signs say that was not the case) he was there to help repel whatever force was hurting this town.

Yugito had wondered why a demon would target this town, and torture its people. The monk had told her that many demons didn't really have a reason for doing anything. While the greater demons like the Tailed Beasts had sentience and capable of complex thought, lesser demons were often one-dimensional, and acted purely on instinct. If this was a demon, he had claimed, it was likely the demon wasn't here because it took pleasure in making the villagers suffer, but because it knew nothing else.

"Okay, if you two are ready, it's go time" Kori said, hefting his throwing axe to his shoulder.

"Have I mentioned how much I don't approve of this plan?" Misha asked, slipping on her combat gloves.

She had, but it was the best they had. While the monk prepared a binding spell meant to hold anything with even a smidgen of demonic power (something Yugito was a somewhat nervous about; but the monk promised he had excellent aim) they would distract the creature and keep it from escaping.

Getting a nod from Kori, Yugito leapt up and hurled a trio of Kunai at the top of the cave. A moment later, the exploding notes attached to them went off, causing the cave to rumble ominously. The three waited, knowing that anything inside would have to come running out in order not to be buried alive.

Their patients was rewarded; because just as it looked like the cave would be sealed with tons of earth, a figure shot from the mouth to land not thirty feet from them.

It looked human, oddly enough. He was tall, though it was hard to tell with how badly he slouched. His arms dangled at his sides, and his dusty blond hair flopped against his forehead. It looked as though he were being dragged down by invisible chains; and the thing that looked like a man quickly lowered himself into a crouch.

He wore what appeared to be a tattered robe, and no shoes, revealing claw like toenails. His fingernails were also clawed, and they twitched and flexed as though the owner was unsure what to do with them.

He was sniffling, and Yugito could make out stains on his cheek from where he had been crying excessively. His eyes were bloodshot, but she could just make out a hint of sky blue behind all the red.

Overall, he looked like a very sad human, not a demon at all.

"I am… sorry." he whispered, though it was hard to hear, as his voice sounded raw and scratchy like sandpaper. "I don't know why you're attacking me, but I'm sure I deserve it. I'm so so sorry." he whimpered.

Suddenly, he stood, his arms reaching for them, like a drowning man reaches for the shore. That move broke the tension, and Kori, already tense, reacted.

Before anyone could decide whether it was a smart thing to do, he hurled one of his throwing axes as the creature (the boy?).

Moving faster then Yugito would have thought, the boy's head jerked to the side, the axe leaving only a scratch on his cheek. She watched his eyes well up with tears, and his pupils become like pinpricks.

Man or beast, they certainly had its attention, and if it was a fight they wanted, they were about to get it…

_-Chapter 3-_

**Sea Country: **

"Captain! Land ho!"

A cheer rose up from the men as the massive ship broke through the thick fog of the night, a village now clearly in view. Judging by their heading, this was the same village they had departed from, and… graced… with their company three times in the past. Normally it was unwise for men such as them to revisit the same place so often, because eventually it attracted the attention of shinobi.

But the Captain liked the village, and had claimed it as his own. And nobody denied the Captain anything. Ever. At least not if you wanted to keep existing.

"Wonderful! I admit, I was beginning to miss the old homestead! We'll fill up on supplies, and kick up our boots for a night. Show these landlubbers how to have some real fun." the Captain strode across the deck, laughing all the way, his armor clanking and his cutlass clinking, his incredibly expensive boots stomping out a steady beat on the wood.

None of the other men were nearly so well dressed. Oh, they didn't wear any rags like some vagabonds or desperate mercenaries. But their outfits were not nearly so pristine as the Captain's. The man had insisted when he'd taken over that as his crew, they look respectable enough to not embarrass him.

The old captain… a man no longer spoken of out loud, cared little for such things. He expected the men to pull their weight, and their treasure was whatever else they secured.

Then a stranger had come, and challenged the old captain. He won, and now he was Captain. The old captain… no one spoke about it. They tried their best not to think about what the monster in human skin that called itself their Captain had done. Now this was HIS ship, and they were HIS crew. Those few men brave enough to voice their dissent had been…

No, mustn't think about it.

Since then, they'd been raiding more and more, constantly acquiring more treasure. Well, more treasure for the Captain. He got the lion's share, the rest of the crew got whatever he decided to give them. They couldn't complain of course.

It wasn't all bad, as their was a steady flow of treasure, and even with what little the Captain gave them, they got paid often enough that it more then made up the difference. And then their was the fact that the Captain was strong. Shiploads of mercenaries, other pirates, or even lawmen were nothing to him, and all met painful ends. They'd never faced a ninja though…

Now as they pulled into port, the crew knew it would be a usual night of pirate style frivolities. Some would drink, others would pillage, others would find company to satisfy. The Captain would probably do a combination of all of the above and more. Of course, it was likely that some crew members would flee for their lives, desperate to get away from the monster in human form. While he no doubt knew this, the Captain never seemed to mind. After all, there were always new fools ready to board the ship for the promise of easy treasure. Unlike material goods, human life was a cheap commodity to the Captain, and held less value then things like gold or jewels. As long as the men took none of his treasure, if they wanted to quit, let them.

Still… as they lowered the plank and the men disembarked from the ship… the air seemed tense, and even the Captain seemed ill at ease. Something was not right. Something was going to happen.

_-Chapter 3-_

**Location: Unknown**

Anger growled low in his throat as he stomped through the woods. After his little 'release' he'd had to flee the town before the authorities arrived to investigate the little matter of 'why is the whole town on fire'. This lead to him getting lost in the middle of these god forsaken woods, and was not improving his mood. Not only was it frustrating, it was downright boring! In fact, if something didn't happen in the next few seconds, he was going to-

*Snap*

Anger stopped, his head jerking in the direction of the noise. Was someone there? Or something? Was it friend or foe? Anger cracked his neck; he could go for a good fight. And if it was a wild animal, then at least he'd be having barbecue for dinner. "Alright! Show yourself!" he yelled.

The bush in front of him whimpered, but nothing made any attempt to lunge at him. Anger's eyebrow ticked. He hated being ignored "I said. Come. Out. Now!" he yelled, stepping closer, the air starting to heat up around him, and thin trails of smoke leaking from his nostrils.

"Alright, alright; take it easy there friend." a voice responded, moving closer. "We're not looking for a fight." A figure stepped from the bush and Anger got a good look at who he was dealing with. And what he saw made him slack jawed.

The person before him looked just like him. Sort of. He was a little dirtier, likely from having spent more time in the wilderness. His hair was also longer, and his skin a bit tanner. But the most distinguishing feature was the eyes. While Anger had red eyes like liquid fire, this guy… his eyes were like polished silver. So shiny that if he squinted, Anger was sure he could easily see his reflection. And while they were nice… there was something disconcerting about them that made him uncomfortable. And that anything could make him uncomfortable made him a little angry. How dare this guy make him feel-

Before his anger got away from him, he took note of the second figure, and saw it was another him. Kinda. This one's blonde hair hung a little more limply around his head; and the person under the hair was hiding behind his compatriot. The way he was pressing his index fingers together struck a cord somewhere in Anger, but he couldn't quite place it.

The front figure smiled "Well, I believe introductions are in order, yes?" he said, offering his hand out. Anger shook it, but said nothing. The man's smile didn't waver "Come on now, what's your name?" he asked, looking Anger dead in the eye.

Anger wanted to tell him to piss off; that he didn't owe this guy any answers. Besides, wasn't it customary to introduce yourself first? That was what he wanted to say. What came out was "I am Rokujou Uzumaki. But I just call myself Anger. It's easier I think, and a more proper designation. I know they technically are the same thing, but-" Anger was cut off by the chuckling of the man in front of him.

"I get it" he said, closing his eyes as he scratched the back of his head.

Anger blinked "How… why…" His eyes started to glow "What did you do to me?!" he growled, the ground beneath him smoldering. The cowering figure whimpered, and the mysterious man just held up his hands in surrender.

"Now hold on, don't fly off the handle." he said. "It's my power. I wanted to make sure you were who you said you were." he sighed, becoming serious "I am Matomo Uzumaki. Or, to put it plainly: I am Honesty." he said, Anger's eyes widening in understanding. That just confirmed that this guy was like him.

Anger's eyes drifted back to the other one behind Honesty's back "And him? Fear?"

Honesty shook his head "No, haven't run into him. You're the first actually. This" he turned and pushed the quivering blond in front of him "Is Shuuchi Uzumaki. Shyness."

Shyness slowly offered a shaking hand "H-h-hel-hello. Ho-how are you?" he stuttered.

Anger took the hand, and the moment he did, a tranquil, peaceful feeling overcame him. He felt his anger drain away, to be replaced with… something he didn't quite understand. But it was gone the next moment as Shy withdrew his hand.

"So" Honesty said, "Where're ya headed?"

"Nowhere" Anger answered, once again compelled to answer. He mentally quirked an eyebrow at that. That was the sort of question he might have blown off. It seemed that anything Honesty asked would force him answer truthfully.

"Lost too huh?" Honesty said, a knowing smile on his face. Anger just knew that look with get old fast. "Well why not travel with us? Guys like us should stick together, you know?"

Anger frowned. He supposed it would be good to have someone to talk to; and it wasn't like the sounds of nature were providing much feedback. Plus, maybe they'd be able to keep him from going nuclear when situations didn't warrant it, which would come in handy. On the other hand, he kind of liked being on his own. It was refreshing. Anger took another look at Shy, who was looking at him expectantly. On the other, other hand, these two candy asses would be dead in a week without someone to look after them (he promptly ignored the thoughts that pointed out that they were likely as old as he was), and Kami knew he was the toughest badass around.

Anger heaved a heavy sigh "Fine" he said.

Honesty smiled brightly, and even Shy gave a faint grin "Great! With any luck, we'll find a city in no time and get out of these woods." he said, allowing Anger to take the lead.

After about five minutes of walking, Honesty asked "So… what've you been up too since you were made?"

Anger's eyebrow twitched as he recalled his memory of the village he'd been in. Then twitched again as he realized he'd be forced to answer…

_-Chapter 3-_

**Location: Unknown**

Mayuri the bartender glanced warily about his bar. Tonight had started out like any other night. This was just a small bar, but it was located on a trade route, so he got customers from all over. Some traders, some ninja, some social butterflies, some plain old bar flies, etc. along with the regulars from the other shops.

So, while seeing a new face wasn't unusual, the one that currently occupied the corner table seemed very… disturbing. He wore grey robes, and a straw hat that seemed to cover most of his face. You would think he was projecting the air of a loner and yet…

The other costumers were drawn to him. Oh, Mayuri doubted they suspected anything, but he'd been in the business a long time. They flitted over to him, taking a seat by him, and talked at him. Mayuri wasn't sure he spoke back, but his conversation partners prattled on and on. He watched them tell him their life stories, their ambitions, their opinions… and that was when things got bizarre.

A young woman, recently betrothed, confessed that she had rushed into the marriage. She and her lover were both to young for such a commitment, and she was thinking of breaking it off. Mayuri had looked away for a moment to serve another patron, and when he looked back, she was as happy as could be, more in love then ever before.

He watched a man in a smart suit brag to the stranger about some business deal he'd gotten in on. He was sure it was going to make him rich, and that he'd done his family proud. Not five minutes later, he was crying into his drink that what he'd done was a fool hardy decision. He hadn't gotten enough proof that the plan would succeed, and that his parents would find his impulsiveness disgraceful. The man fled the bar soon afterwards.

That didn't stop others from walking right up to the man. No matter what they talked about, by the end of it, the person would walk away believing the opposite. Hardened criminals suddenly wept for their wicked ways and repented. Men of relative virtue were ready to dip themselves in sin by the time the conversation was done. Without ever saying a word, the man changed people entire perceptions. It was, in a word, terrifying. Especially since Mayuri never saw the man actually DO anything!

By closing time, only two men were left in the bar: Mayuri and the stranger. The man stood up, and walked to the bar. He laid some coins on the wood, and turned his back. Just before he left, Mayuri found his voice "I don't know who you are, but I don't ever want you in this bar again!" he had to keep from shouting, but he managed to say his piece.

The man tilted his head, but did not look back "I did not come here with negative intentions. What those people did, they did to themselves." his voice was deep, and seemed to vibrate the very air.

Mayuri shook his head, even though the man couldn't see it "I somehow doubt that very much, mister."

The man didn't respond, instead simply walking out into the night.

As the door shut, the man looked up, his eyes, half white and half black, fractured and resembling a broken mirror stared unblinking into the night.

"Doubt… yeah, that sounds about right."

_-Chapter 3-_

**Lightning Country**

Yugito's sides ached, and she knew that if she didn't have access to the Nibi's power to heal her she would be dead. An explosion had claimed most of the mountain, and buried the… what? It wasn't really a spirit like they'd thought, but it certainly wasn't human. Whatever it was though, she wanted nothing to do with it. And as cruel as it sounded, she prayed the destruction of its home would have buried it had killed it for good.

The rubble stirred, the clatter of rocks echoing in the silence that reigned over the mountains. Then, after a few moments, a hand broke through, burnt and covered with soot. Yugito's eyes became like pinpricks, and she turned and bolted as fast as she could. Screw the mission, screw this whole town, they were on their own. That thing had claimed the lives of everyone around it, and now all she wanted to do was get back to her village, crawl under her bed and hide for a year. Her kage might be angry with her, downright furious even, but he wasn't here, with this thing after him. If he was, she knew he'd not doubt her choice. And so, with her body aching, and her heart sore with the events that had transpired not even a few hours ago, she raced as fast as she could from this kami-forsaken place, leaving it to its fate.

The hand flexed, before with supreme effort, its owner began the process of digging himself out. It took a long time, well into the night in fact, but finally the ravaged body of Zetsubou 'Despair' Uzumaki was free.

Shakily he stood, his body numb to the cold as he stumbled forward. His thoughts were jumbled from the explosion, but one thing remained constant: Yugito.

The girl was the only person who could understand. The only one who could make the pain in his heart go away. He had to get to her, had to find her, had to make sure she was alright. He threw his head back and breathed deep through the nose, catching her scent on the wind. It was easy to find… and it was moving farther and farther away. Why? Why was she running? Was she scared? She should know that she had no reason to ever be afraid of him.

Even though his body was aching from all the damage done to it in the last few hours alone, he knew he couldn't let her get away. He moved as fast as he was able, his form a blur on the wind as he shot passed the homes and shops of the village his mountain cave had overlooked. None could see him, yet even as he passed them over and moved out of the village, it was like a great sigh was released. A dark cloud that had hovered over the villager's began to disperse, and the ever oppressing sadness that had driven so many to their graves lifted.

Even if she had not intended it, Yugito had indeed saved the village from the grip of Despair. Though… given that he was now following close on her heels to her own village, it was doubtful she would appreciate such a fact.

_-Chapter 3-_

**Location: Unknown**

"Oh dear…" a voice in the darkness drawled. The cave he was hiding out in was very dark, and the only light in the room came from a small monitor that looked like it had been crafted out of scrape (mostly because it had). "Looks like Despair is on the move…" a shadowy figure flipped some switches, the monitor's screen changing "And he's not the only one. So many… and more forming all the time." The figure smiled "It's gonna be a heck of a show."

**End Chapter**

**Well, there you go. We've met several new Narutos, and followed up with some of the others. What exactly happened between Despair and Yugito's Team? We'll find out later. As for the others, I imagine that their existence is not going to fly under the radar for much longer... **

**I hope everyone enjoyed that. If you did, please review. If not, I'm sorry to hear that. Please, no flames. That said, I hope to see you all back here next time, when things start to heat up!  
><strong>

**Until Next Time... **


End file.
